Fastening for doors, gates or the like



April 29, 1958 .1. s. FINDLAY FASTENING FOR DOORS, GATES OR THE LIKE Filed March 6, 1956 0W W M ATTORNEY Lul FASTENING FOR DOORS, GATES OR THE LIKE .l'ohn Scott Findlay, Kirkintilloch, near Glasgow, Scotland Appiication March 6, H56, Serial No. 569,731

(liaims priority, appiication Great Britain March 17, 1955 4 Claims. (Cl. 292-210) This invention relates to a new or improved fastening for doors or gates.

One object of the invention is to provide a fastening of particularly rigid and robust construction adapted to retain the door or gate in the closed position in a particularly secure and rigid manner.

The invention is considered to be especially but not exclusively applicable to doors or gates of houses or pens for containing livestock and other animals of relatively large size.

A further object of the invention is to avoid the disadvantage which occurs at present when ordinary sliding bolts are used and the door or gate becomes distorted or warped so that the bolt and bolt hole move out of register in relation to one another so that the bolt can then only be slidden with difliculty, this being a serious disadvantage where in dealing with certain animals it is very necessary to be able to shut and fasten the door or gate with rapidity.

Yet another object of the present invention seeks to avoid another disadvantage of the ordinary sliding bolt wherein a door or gate subjected to the weight or buffeting of an animal is liable to Warp or buckie at places spaced along the free edge away from the position at which the fastening bolts are provided with the result that after a period of years the door can only be moved into the closed position with difliculty.

Yet a further object of the present invention seeks to avoid yet a further disadvantage of the ordinary bolt fastening namely the disadvantage incurred when the door or gate serves to separate two animal containing pens and irrespective of which side of the door the bolt is situated the possibility exists of one of the animals working the bolt loose and opening the door or gate with possible serious consequences.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea.

In the drawings Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the fastening in an operative position in which a gate is held in a closed position;

Figure 2 is a perspective detailed view showing a part of Figure l on an enlarged scale:

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the fastening in an inoperative position in which the gate is opened:

Figure 4 shows the fastening when applied to a door.

In this particular embodiment which has been developed as applied to a piggery of the form commonly known as the Danish-type House, this house would consist of large number of separate pens arranged in line with an internal passageway running along the length of the house, past one wall of each pen, and each pen would be provided in such wall adjacent one corner of the pen with a gateway having hinged thereto adjacent such corner a gate adapted in one position, namely a feeding and cleaning position, to close the corresponding gate into the pen and in the other and normal position 2,332,525 Patented Apr. 29, 1958 to extend across the passageway with the free edge of the gate in juxtaposition with the adjacent outer wall of the house, which forms the side of the passageway remote from the pen, an arrangement which permits of the pig normally utilising part of the passageway adjacent its associated pen.

With such an arrangement it will be appreciated that under normal conditions with each gate disposed in the normal position above referred to, there will be a pig on each side of each gate so that each gate in its normal position is liable to be subjected to the weight and buffeting of a pig from each side thereof, each gate closing the pen gateway above referred to only during feeding and cleaning operations when an attendant is present, and for securing each gate in the latter position acatch of any convenient, for example conventional form, may be provided.

For securing each gate in its normal position above referred to, however, in accordance with the present invention, I provide a fastening comprising a pair of stopmembers and 11 of elongated configuration. One

stop member, namely the fixed stop member 11 being formed from a length of metal bar of angle section, one flange 12 of which is formed with a number of holes for the passage of suitable fastening members for securing the same to the edge of the doorway or gateway 13.

The other flange of the fixed stop member, 11, would project into the passageway so as to be adapted on one face to engage with one side of the gate. Said fixed stop member 11 is also provided at opposite ends of the member and if desired at one or more intermediate positions as well with a hinge for receiving a hinge bar 14 extending for the full length of the stop member. On this hinge bar 14 is hingedly mounted through the medium of two or more hinge knuckles disposed at opposite ends of the fixed stopmember the other stop member 10, comprising a metal plate or strip of flat section to one edge of which the associated hinge knuckles are welded or otherwise secured.

The arrangement is such that the hinged stop member 16 can swing from an inoperative position, as shown in Figure 3, in which it lies flush with the adjacent edge of the gateway to an operative position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 in which it extend parallel to, but spaced from the inwardly projecting flange of the fixed or angle section stop member 11 above referred to and the depth of the hinge knuckles is such that in this latter position the two stop members are spaced apart from one another by a distance corresponding to the thickness of the gate adjacent its free edge.

The fixed stop member 11 would as shown in Figures 1 and 2, be disposed in a position such that its upper end is substantially flush with the upper edge of the gate 15 and the hinged stop member in projects above such upper edge having its upper end 16 cranked in alignment with the gate engaging flange of the fixed stop member Ill, the upper extremity of the hinged stop member having pivoted thereto a catch member 17 of strip metal form having one end 18 forked to receive pivotally therebetween the upper end of the hinged stop member 1d, while the opposite end of this catch member is provided with a dependent lug 19 adapted with the catch member in its operative position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 to engage with the side of the gate which is engaged by the fixed stop member, 11, whereby the hinged stop member in is securely retained in its operative position.

The catch member 17 would be of relatively substantial weight and in its operative position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 would preferably extend horizontally at right angles to the length of the associated hinged stop member 1i) and in this position the catch member would extend across the top of the gate spaced therefrom by a distance sufficient as to permit of the operator conveniently passing his or her fingers beneath the catch member 17 to enable this to be raised to bring the lug 1? thereon clear of the gate and permit of the latter then being swung into the open position, an arrangement which it will readily be appreciated permits of the catch member being easily operated from either side of the gate.

At the same time the catch member 17 is disposed at the very' top of the gate at a height such that there is no danger of it being opened by a pig.

Conveniently each gate would have an overall height of approximately four feet and the stop members, ill and 11 may have a length substantially half the overall height of the gate, being secured to the edge of the gate way or the outer wall aforesaid of the house at a position directly opposite to the corner of the adjacent pen to which the gate is hinged, in such a manner as to permit of the gate being swung from its normal position above referred to, to the feeding and cleaning position in which it closes the open gateway.

Thus, substantially half of the entire length of the free edge of the gate 15 is effectively gripped between the two stop members it) and 11 so as to retain the gate securely in its closed position in such a manner that the retaining force is distributed over a substantial proportion of the entire length of the free edge of the gate, which is accordingly effectively secured against buckling or distortion arising from the weight of an animal irrespective of whether the gate is formed of steel or wood.

Further, in the event of the gate dropping after a period of use the effectiveness and ease of operation of the fastening is in no way impaired, since the catch member lug 19 above referred to may be made as long as convenient to engage operatively with the upper edge portion of the gate.

Although the invention has been described as applied to doors for use in piggeries it will, of course, be understood that the invention is applicable to other closure members for use in houses for livestock and animals in general, where these are of such a size that a substantial form of door fastening is necessary.

Further it is believed that the invention is capable of general application to closure members of the kind which are mounted for hinging movement adjacent one edge thereof wherein a particularly rigid and secure form of fastening is required, for example hinged closure members for use as crowd barriers for controlling crowds at football matches and similar functions, wherein the closure members are liable to be subjected to very considerable pressure when in the closed position.

As shown in Figure 4, the fastening can be applied to a door but in view of the lack of clearance between the top of the door 2% and the top of the doorway 21, one corner of the door is cut away as indicated at 22 in the drawing so as to provide a working space for the catch member, 17.

What I claim then is: I

l. A fastening for a hinged door or gate comprising, a pair of stop members of elongated configuration, means for mounting one of said stop members on the edge of the doorway or gateway opening which is opposite to the edge thereof adjacent the door or gate hinge, hinge means connecting said other stop member to said mountable stop member so as to permit of it hinging relative to said mountable stop member about an axis parallel to the hinge iii axis of the door or gate and between a releasing position and a retaining position in which the free edge of the door or gate is engaged between said two stop members, said hingeable stop member being cranked at its upper end, and a catch member mounted pivotally on the cranked portion of said hingeable stop member and adapted to engage with the side face of the door or gate opposite to that which is engageable by the hingeable stop member to secure the latter releasably in its retaining position.

2. A fastening for a hinged door or gate comprising, a pair of stop members of elongated configuration, means for mounting one of said stop members on the edge of the doorway or gateway opening which is opposite to the edge thereof adjacent the door or gate hinge, hinge means connecting said other stop member to said mountable stop member so as to permit of it hinging relative to said mountable stop member about an axis parallel to the hinge axis of the door or gate and between a reelasing position and a retaining position in which the free edge of the door or gate is engaged between said two stop members, and a catch member mounted pivotally on the hingeable stop member and adapted to engage with the side face of the door or gate opposite to that which is engageable by the hingeable stop member to secure the latter releasably in its retaining position.

3. A fastening for a hinged door or gate comprising, a pair of stop members of elongated configuration, means for mounting one of said stop members on the edge of the doorway or gateway opening which is opposite to the edge thereof adjacent the door or gate hinge, the other stop member being formed as an integral part of the doorway or gateway, hinge means connecting said mountable stop member to said doorway or gateway so as to permit of it hinging relative to said doorway or gateway about an axis parallel to the hinge axis of the door or gate and between a releasing position and a retaining position in which the free edge of the door or gate is engaged between said two stop members, and a catch member mounted pivotally on the hingeable stop member and adapted to engage with the side face of the door or gate opposite to that which is engageable by the hingeable stop member to secure the latter releasably in its retaining position.

4. A fastening for a hinged door or gate comprising a pair of stop members of elongated configuration, means for mounting one of said stop members on the edge of the doorway or gateway opening which is opposite to the edge thereof adjacent the door or gate hinge, a hinge pivot connecting said other stop member to said mountable stop member so as to permit of it hinging relative to said mountable stop member about an axis parallel to the hinge axis of the door or gate and between a releasing position and a retaining position in which the free edge of the door or gate is engaged between said two stop members, a catch member and mounting means on said hinged stop member supporting said catch member displaceably in relation to the hinged stop member, said catch member being adapted to engage with the side face of the door or gate opposite to that which is engageable by the hinged stop member to secure the latter releasably in its retaining position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

